Therapy
by God Emperor Penguin
Summary: Nakiri Erina lives a life far removed from that of a normal girl's. After a near defeat in a minor shokugeki, concerns are raised as to whether the young heiress is overworked and stressed. To assuage her grandfather's concerns, she agrees to see a therapist. Peculiar assignments are given in order to address the source of Erina's demons.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own Shokugeki no Soma. Please do not sue me. I have no money._

 **Summary:** _Nakiri Erina lives a life far removed from that of a normal girl's. After a near defeat in a minor shokugeki, concerns are raised as to whether the young heiress is overworked and stressed. To assuage her grandfather's concerns, she agrees to see a therapist. Peculiar assignments are given in order to address the source of Erina's demons **.**_

 **Thanks to:** _Cyber, for editing._

 **Therapy**

 _Shokugeki no Soma_

 **Chapter One**

 **oO oOoOo oOoOo oOoOo Oo**

"Lady Erina, we are here. Are you sure you don't want me to accompany you?"

"I'll be fine, Hisako."

The therapist's office was a small white house with a blue tiled roof in the middle of the green mountains. A white picket fence surrounded the house. Two windows flanked the red door. It looked unassuming enough without an air of hostility.

A young receptionist sat on the desk polishing her nails. "Oh, Dr. Shinagawa will see you now. She's been waiting."

"Thank you."

These were the sort of interactions Erina was most fond of: short, succinct, and to the point with no hassle or small talk.

"Ah, Miss Nakiri Erina. I've been expecting you."

The room had an old-fashioned atmosphere, not to say it was dusty – everything was immaculate. The room had a dark carpet with red-brown furniture and cushions. Bookcases of various subjects from classic literature to paranormal activities to psychology and sciences and –yes- even cooking were among the titled etched onto the cover.

"I think the entire situation has been overblown."

The therapist smiled and continued on.

"Tell me about your friends."

"Friends?"

The therapist looked up, as if she were surprised at Erina's response. "Yes, friends. You have friends, yes?"

Erina thought to her various companions. There was of course, Hisako. And beyond her there was Alice. And recently she had become close to Megumi Tadokoro. There were various other acquaintances… but deep down they carried a sense of awe and fear for her. They wanted to be her, but at the same time were terrified of her existence. She was the physical embodiment of royalty and the masterful example of culinary arts personified. Perfection.

A perfect girl like Nakiri Erina shouldn't exist except in the realm of fantasy.

"I have good friends. They are all excellent chefs. And they don't fear me."

With a slight smile, the therapist scratched some notes.

"W-what are writing?"

"Notes, of course."

"So tell me what happened. Every detail if you would please," the therapist requested. "Of course you don't have to, although if it isn't as big of a deal as you say, then perhaps nothing really did happen."

"It was a minor shokugeki – shokugeki are cooking competitions where both parties wager something. For example it could be a clubroom or funding or what have you. For this shokugeki I wanted to build another cooking facility to accommodate some additional personnel and I thought the Edible Insect Society was insignificant enough to be wiped out."

"Wiped out? That's a bit harsh."

"That's what they get for floundering. They shouldn't hang onto past glories. But anyways, the theme was 'Unusual Proteins' – and I just made some careless mistakes."

"From my understanding, you don't make mistakes."

"I don't… usually."

"So what happened?"

"Nothing."

"Are you sure? Was something on your mind?"

"I was completely focused…"

Was she?

That's right… prior to the match.

She saw something. It was nothing. It was small and insignificant as an ant.

Megumi Tadokoro was walking side by side with _him_.

" _Want to walk home together, Tadokoro?"_

Somehow, it stuck on her mind.

Careless mistakes were made. One at first, then another, until they began to snowball and Erina began realizing that the mere seconds in slip-ups were beginning to pile up into a catastrophe. Of all the hundreds of shokugeki she had participated in in her long and undefeated streak, this was perhaps her closest and hardest fought yet.

And this all came about because she couldn't clear her mind of an unnecessary memory.

"It's all Yukihira's fault," Erina muttered silently.

The name became associated with the little-deaths that attacked her heart. Every interaction seemed to shave off several hours or days off her lifespan. The cretin didn't understand anything and acted so familiar with her.

"Yukihara?"

"Yu-Yukihira Soma… that name drives me… _ugh_."

"Yukihara? The name drives you…"

"Furious! That man's very existence is an affront to all things proper! He's nothing more than a second rate special-of-the-day che-, ugh. He's not even a chef! He's just a short-order cook! That's what he is!"

"Ah, so it's a boy?"

"Yes! He's a stupid idiotic boy who doesn't understand his place in the world. His admission into Tootsuki Culinary Academy was a terrible misjudgement on whoever approved it. He's in a league miles above his own. Vermin like him should be kept on a leash and only walked out outside of my presence. "

"That's unusually harsh. Does he not bath?"

"H-he cleans himself I'm sure," Erina fumbled. "I mean, he doesn't smell."

"You've smelled him?"

"No! B-but, he doesn't carry a bad odor…ugh, what do you want me to say?" Erina began growing frustrated at her inability to articulate what she wanted to say.

"He sounds like a lively boy," the therapist said, biting the tip of her pen. " _Hm_ … I fail to understand what he did to make you so upset."

"He's a pest!"

"Did something personal occur between the two of you?"

" _Eh!?_ "

Floods of memories came pouring back to Erina. Every embarrassing exchange, every moment the two were next to each other by fate or some idiocy of luck made her blood pressure escalate.

" _No._ Nothing."

It was a cold and calculated response.

"I see. Have you seen any good movies lately?"

"What's so great about movies?"

"I take that as a ' _no_ '. Okay. You're not a cinema fan. That's fine. Have you been to an amusement or water park recently? Perhaps you've been to an outing in a public setting like the mall or the local shopping district perhaps."

"I do go to the local fish markets on occasion," Erina answered before another memory entered her mind. "But I did go to a water park last summer with my cousin Alice. We spent nearly the whole day there."

"Did anything fun happen?"

"It was rather uneventful. Alice kept pestering me to be on guard in case we got hit on, but no boys ever came near us. So that was a relief."

The therapist smiled and nodded before scratching a few more notes.

Erina fidgeted in her armchair. She wanted to desperately see what was being written down.

"Do you like arcades? Karaoke? _Hm_ … have you been to a summer festival?"

"Of course I've attended summer festivals. I enjoy sampling the local traditional fair when I get a chance. Sometimes during less formal parties my grandfather brings out the old karaoke machine and gets into sing-a-longs with his drinking buddies. But I don't know what this… arcade is that you're talking about."

The therapist nodded. Then scratched a few more notes.

"Erina. Have you ever been on a date?"

"Who has time for such foolish activities? I don't have time for flings."

The therapist furrowed her eyebrows. "That's certainly a mature position to take."

"Thank you."

"A bit too mature, but I can see where you're coming from."

"Exactly… wait, what do you mean you can see where I'm coming from?"

"Hm… my current conclusion is that you're not a normal girl."

" _Obviously."_

"A bit of normalcy isn't bad you know? You don't have to be so adverse to it."

"What could possibly be so fun about that?"

"I don't know, you could go out, see the world…"

"I'm flown out to Paris to sample the latest offerings every so often. And sometimes I go to trips to culinary expeditions to China, Turkey, and Europe with Alice and her family."

Biting the eraser tip of her pencil, the therapist frowned to herself. "Um… not quite what I meant…"

"But I'm seeing the world."

"You're seeing the world's food. What about the people and their culture? How well do you understand the people who eat the food?"

"I don't understand what you're saying."

"In many parts of the world, eating is just another thing to do. It can be entertaining and it should be enjoyable but there are more things to life than just refining one's taste buds."

"I can sort of see that…"

"Erina, do you have someone you admire?"

"These questions are coming really out of nowhere."

"I know, but please bear with me. So, do you have someone you admire? Perhaps a gentleman?"

"T-there is one…"

"It wouldn't happen to be Yukihira Soma, would it?"

The mere mention of his name didn't instantaneously cause Erina's blood pressure to elevate. Erina paused thoughtfully. Before her mind could control her lips, an answer began to slip out.

"Mayb-wait! _No!_ Absolutely not!"

The therapist smiled. "Is that so?"

"Yukihira Soma is nothing like the person I admire! The person I admire… his cooking is the epitome of perfection. " The thought of that gentlemen who cooked a meal for the Nakiri residence once upon many moonrises ago swept into her mind. "Every spice chosen, each cut and technique used was masterful beyond measure. I-I… hope to achieve that level of perfection in my own cooking one day."

Erina mumbled the last part, embarassed at having confessed her secret desire.

"It's good to have a dream," the therapist said with a smile. She jotted a few more notes down before continuing, "How about this. I'm going to give you a homework assignment: you are going to ask him how his day is."

"W-what! I can't!"

Erina looked up, a blush formed on her cheeks.

"Why not?"

"I-I don't know where he is. Nobody's seen him for years," Erina replied, her voice trailing off.

The therapist frowned. "Oh is that so… I guess I'll just change the assignment then."

"Eh?"

"You are going to ask Yukihira Soma how his day is. And you are also going to learn at least three things about him. You'll report your findings to me during our session next week. That's your homework assignment."

"What? That's ridiculous! Why do I have to…"

"I believe confronting your demons is the best way to resolve this issue. And this Yukihira Soma certainly is a demon to you. The more you understand your demons, the less of a negative hold they have on you."

Quietly, Nakiri nodded. "I understand. If that's all, I'll be taking my leave."

"Of course, I'll have my receptionist call your car."

Erina nodded and quickly left the room. The less time she spent in there, hopefully her heart would stop beating so fast. The mere thought of having to interact with Yukihira, even for a brief and casual conversation felt so beneath her.

Taking her seat, Erina folded her arms and leaned back into the cushion. The car ride back would be a few minutes long, a brief respite from the day's events and the appointments to come.

"Did you find anything out about yourself," Hisako asked.

Biting her tongue, Erina gave a measured response.

"No. Nothing important."

Erina turned her head and looked out the window for the rest of the ride.

 _Chapter One Fin_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own Shokugeki no Soma. Please do not sue me. I have no money._

 **Summary:** _Nakiri Erina lives a life far removed from that of a normal girl's. After a near defeat in a minor shokugeki, concerns are raised as to whether the young heiress is overworked and stressed. To assuage her grandfather's concerns, she agrees to see a therapist. Peculiar assignments are given in order to address the source of Erina's demons._

 **Thanks to:** _Cyber, who is ultra-bro for editing._

 **Title**

 _Shokugeki no Soma_

 **Chapter Two**

 **oO oOoOo oOoOo oOoOo Oo**

Despite a long history of appearing beside one another, Nakiri Erina couldn't believe her luck today. First they attended classes together but Yukihira decided to sit in the back because he thought he had a cold and didn't want Erina to catch it. Then on the way to lunch, Erina attempted to wave at Soma only for him to beat her to the punch and wave back. Afterwards, he was gone on his merry way.

Then after school, Yukihira was getting his moped from the parking lot and rode away with Tadokoro Megumi.

For some reason, Erina didn't want to approach him then.

This went on for a week, until finally it was the day before Erina's next therapist session with Dr. Shinagawa.

"What an infuriating man!" Erina fumed away. She was loitering by the exit to Yukihira Souma's last class. She had requested an early leave due to illness, eliciting an over-reactive response from the instructors and assistants present.

Arms crossed, she tapped her foot impatiently.

' _Hey isn't that Nakiri? What's she doing on this side of campus?'_

' _Yeah, her class isn't anywhere near here.'_

' _Do you think she's waiting for someone?'_

Rumor were spreading, Nakiri thought to herself. Biting her fingernail, she hoped the boy would appear soon so she could interrogate whatever three simple facts she needed to get out of him to complete the therapist's assignments.

"Just how long is he going to take!?" Erina looked down, trying to hide her frustration from any would-be onlookers.

"Oi, Nakiri. What's up?"

Her heart rate snapped into the triple digits.

"Yu-Yukihira Souma!"

"Yeah that's me," the boy answered. "Uh. You feeling okay? You're kind of red."

Erina rubbed her face, hoping it would lessen the reddening of her cheeks. "I'm perfectly fine," Erina declared haughtily. She couldn't lose any more face in front of this boy.

"Okay. That's good to hear. See you around then," Yukihira said with a wave as he heading off.

" _Hmph_! I hope to never see you around agai-wait, wait, _wait_!" The realization dawned on Erina as why she was here meeting Yukihira Souma in the first place. She raced after him. "Wait up, you!"

"Huh?" Yukihira was already at the bike racks, his moped helmet on.

Erina's hands were pressed onto her knees as she fought to catch her breath.

' _Hey, did Nakiri just run after that guy just now?'_

' _Yeah, she ran after Yukihira Souma!'_

' _You mean that's the finalist at the Autumn Election!?'_

Erina knew she had to get through this quickly.

"Yukihira, please tell me three things about yourself."

"What."

Yukihira's face looked dumbfounded. "What do you mean 'what'? It's simple! Just tell me three things about yourself so we can both get along with our business."

"That's kind of a weird request. Are you doing one of those online questionnaires?"

"Wh-what? No! I'm just… just…" Erina turned around and bit her thumb as she struggled to think of a good excuse. "I'm just curious, that's all!" She turned with a triumphant declaration.

"Curious about me?"

" _Yes!_ "

A small crowd was gathered around the pair by this point. Crickets and whispers were heard amongst the people present. A flustered Erina, realizing her mistake in her choice of excuse, immediately grabbed Yukihira's hand. "Come! Now!"

Pulling him away, Erina pulled him into one of the many unoccupied buildings littered around campus at this time.

She had to get away from them, no matter what.

Finding an unlocked and unused classroom, Erina pulled Yukihira though.

"Um, Nakiri-"

"What!?"

"Can you get let go of my hand, now?"

Erina stared into Souma's eyes. Then slowly, they were drawn downward towards the point in space and time where their skin was in direct contact with one another's.

Erina screamed.

Disengaging from him, Erina grasped her hand looking upon it as if it had contracted some incurable affliction.

"My innocence," Erina whimpered in mourning for her now defiled hand.

"Um… did you want to talk to me about something?" Yukihira had put his hands into his pockets and looked at Erina expectantly. His moped helmet was still on. "If not, I kind of want to go home and make dinner."

Erina brushed aside her hair from her ear.

"I just wanted you to tell me three things about yourself! That's all," Erina grumbled.

"Oh? You know it's hard to have a conversation with you. It's really hard to keep up," Souma said with a laugh.

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

"So you want me to tell you three things about myself? Um… let's see… I'm not really good with interviews… oh wait! That's some about me, isn't it?" Yukihira Souma completely ignored her. "So that's one thing!"

"Ugh…" Erina rubbed her eyebrows. She was confident her therapist would find that answer unsuitable.

"Hm." Souma rubbed his chin in thought. "I like caterpillars?"

 _What are you, an elementary schooler!?_ Erina internally screamed. She was quickly losing her composure and every second longer was a challenge of endurance to tolerate the annoyance radiating from him.

"Th-that's nice," Erina groaned.

"Well, I worked in my pop's diner. And I plan to open my own place someday."

 _Probably some deadbeat dad_ , Erina thought rolling her eyes.

"That's nice. What else?"

"Um… let's see… I enjoy fishing?"

"That's great. Anything else?"

"Hm… I think I really like this school."

"Eh? Why would you say that?"

After all the struggles and hardships this boy endures daily, he still likes this school? What kind of idiot would enjoy being his position: a no talent buffoon who survives by the skin of their teeth on luck and sheer insanity?

"Well I got to meet a lot of people. And I've learned a lot from them. Like just the other day Sakaki was teaching me how to make some simple fermented rice juice."

"Isn't that alcohol?"

"..."

"Nevermind. So you got to learn a few tricks? So what?"

"Well it's more than that. I mean, Nikumi was showing me how you differentiate between high level meats through marbling. She's really is a meat master! Then there's Yoshino who was going over what to feed to what game to maximize flavor. It's kind of like spicing up your meat before you actually get your meat. She takes care of the animal pens in the back, so it's always nice to help out."

Erina's eyes furrowed at a common pattern.

"Are these all girls?"

"Well, not that it matters, but yeah. Huh. Now that you mention it, they are all girls…" Yukihira Souma mumbled to himself, "maybe I should spend more time with my guy friends…"

"So you learn a lot of things from women. I think that's good enough," Erina sighed. She had enough to provide for her therapist to complete this blasted assignment.

"Maybe I should ring up Kurokiba and Hayama more often…" Yukihira was still muttering to himself how to spend more time with his male friends. "Then there's Marui, Ibusaki and the others in the Polar Star Dorm… No wait! I spend enough time with them, yeah!"

"Are you done?"

Naturally, Yukihira did not pick up on the venom of annoyance in Nakiri's voice.

"Huh? Hm," Yukihira thought to himself for a moment. "Now that you mention it, there's also Tadokoro."

Erina's heartbeat froze.

"Tadokoro Megumi?"

"Yeah! She's really something ain't she? I gotta admit, I thought she had a huge confidence problem but she's a really stellar chef. She'll probably give me a run for my money if I ever faced her in a shokugeki." Yukihira's smile was beaming with praise for the young girl.

Somehow, those comments only intensified Erina's annoyance.

"What makes her so special?"

The question slipped from Erina's lips before she knew it.

"Huh? Well, let's see… she's really nice. Like super nice and it really shows in her cooking. She's super considerate and thinks about what people are feeling.."

Erina's eye twitched.

"And she's really capable. She might struggle to get her thoughts in order but once she's focused I don't think there's many people who can match her in focus to detail and attending to customers."

A vein in Erina's forehead popped.

"Plus she's great at cooking traditional Japanese food. Her cooking style has a really homely feel to it. Haha! I get the feeling she'll make some lucky guy really happy one day!"

The last remark came off as a joke, but Erina didn't highly of it.

In fact, she detested it.

" _Enough!_ "

"Huh?"

"Thank you. Good bye."

Erina rushed out of the classroom, her irritation was causing goosebumps on her entire body. Her hands were clenched. Her teeth were grinding against each other.

And her heart felt a pang of pain, something she's never felt before.

 _Chapter Two Fin_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own Shokugeki no Soma. Please do not sue me. I have no money._

 **Summary:** _Nakiri Erina lives a life far removed from that of a normal girl's. After a near defeat in a minor shokugeki, concerns are raised as to whether the young heiress is overworked and stressed. To assuage her grandfather's concerns, she agrees to see a therapist. Peculiar assignments are given in order to address the source of Erina's demons._

 **Thanks to:** _Cyber who is uber-bro for editing._

 **Title**

 _Shokugeki no Soma_

 **Chapter Three**

 **oO oOoOo oOoOo oOoOo Oo**

The therapist had ran behind schedule, so Nakiri Erina had to wait.

Accepting a seat offered by the receptionist, Erina looked around the lobby. She was sitting on the sofa with a small coffee table with some glamor magazines littered a top of it. Off to the side, was a bookcase with a selection of reading materials adjacent.

And among them with a book, similar to the one Hisako had brought for her. The picture-books called _manga_.

Erina rose. She took each step with dignity and grace, assuming completely that the receptionist was watching her every step when the young part-timer was busy playing Minesweeper on the computer.

Reaching out, Erina quickly grabbed the book and returned to her seat.

It was different from the one's Hisako had brought before. She had never read this one.

The thought of a different romantic story enthused her.

Perhaps they office wouldn't care if she just took it back with her to the mans-

"Excuse me, Nakiri Erina?"

"Eeep!"

The book went flying mid-air before Erina hastily caught it and hid it beneath her uniform coat.

"Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to startle you. But Dr. Shinagawa will see you now. Please go on in," the receptionist said with a bow. After taking a breath to recompose herself, Erina went into the office.

The office was virtually unchanged. The only difference being the therapist had changed her outfit but that was of no importance.

"Hello hello! Please, take a seat," the therapist smiled.

Erina nodded and seated herself on the large cushioned sofa. The comic book targeted towards the young girl demographic tucked safely in her jacket pocket.

"So, normally I'd ask how you are but I think I'll go with this: what's that in your jacket?"

Erina froze. "N-nothing," Erina stuttered. If found out, she'd be caught for theft. Or worst, this woman might call the police on her! Nobody will want to hire a chef with a criminal record. They'd send her to prison and she'd never see her parents or grandparents or relatives or anybody ever again!

Erina Nakiri saw it in a prison movie once. Bad girls are taken and booked into the slammer for life!

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing!"

The therapist tilted her head, her eyebrow raised.

"You suuure~"

"Yes! It's nothing. Absolutely… nothing…" Erina whimpered softly. "I'll return after the session," Erina confessed quietly as she removed the comic from her jacket. Placing it gently on the desk, Erina then leaned back. Her head tilted in shame.

"Oh, I enjoyed this one. You took it from my lobby?"

"Yes," Erina nodded.

"You were scared I was going to punish you for stealing?"

"W-well, I just like them is all," Erina said softly. "I like seeing where their-their-" Erina couldn't bring herself to name the genre before finishing, "I like seeing where their stories end up…"

"Interesting."

The therapist jotted some notes down before continuing.

"So you enjoy shoujo manga?"

Erina crossed her arms and puffed her chest.

" _I like the plot, okay_!?"

"That's fine! That's fine! I'm not judging you. In fact, it's uplifting to know you're doing something that's considered ' _normal_ ' for your age. Most girls aren't entrepreneurs and world famous gourmet food tasters who can sink entire city blocks of restaurants with a single review, you know?"

"That's true," Erina agreed, a slight smile on her lips.

"So, do you ever wish you were living in one of those comic book stories? You know, imagining yourself as the protagonist or heroine?"

Erina's cheeks blushed.

"No. It's utterly shameless."

"What is?"

Erina whispered an answer. The therapist didn't hear it.

"Come again?"

Erina whispered it again, barely louder.

"I really can't hear you."

Erina breathed in deeply.

"It's so utterly shameless to hold hands and walk home together!"

The therapist's eyes rose.

"I see," the therapist smiled before scribbling some more notes. "So! How goes my little homework assignment?"

"Good," Erina scoffed. "Easy actually. He likes caterpillars."

"How adventurous," the therapist nodded. "Although it's not really what I imagined you'd focus on."

"I got more," Erina mumbled.

"Go on."

"His father owns a diner. And he wants to open his own restaurant one day."

"Oh. What kind of diner does his father own?"

"Some special-of-the-day in a backwater shopping district no one cares about." Erina herself had never looked up the restaurant herself, but she imagined it was just some local hangout with mediocre edibles.

"What kind of food does his father make?"

"Plebian fare," Erina mumbled. "Probably anyways. I don't know anything about him. I guess it's passable if Yukihira's cooking is anything to go by."

"Coming from the famous God' Tongue, he must be an exceptionally talented cook," the therapist mused.

"Ugh. He's nothing special," Erina lied.

"So, what else you got for me? I imagine you have one more thing to tell me about him."

"He has lots of friends."

"Really? From the way you described him, he sounded very repulsive. What kind of friends does he have?"

"He has a lot of girlfriends," Erina replied quietly.

"A lot of girlfriends? Is he a player of something of that nature?"

Erina's cheeks blushed. She had only recently learned from the term but even she knew it wasn't applicable in this situation. "N-no. Nothing of that sort. I just mean a lot of his friends happen to be female."

"Hm, so tell me about them."

"There's Miss Mito, who is-well, was- a friend of mine. She is quite skilled with cooking high quality meats. There's also Miss Yoshino and Miss Sakaki who were in the Autumn Election Preliminaries. They are both quite exceptionally talented in their niche fields of cooking. Wild game for Miss Yoshino and fermentation processes for Miss Sakaki."

"My, this Yukihira fellow does make friends with talented individuals."

"Well none of them are as talented as me," Erina scoffed.

"You consider yourself his friend?"

"A-absolutely not! I'm just saying… if he was… I'd be the most talented out of all of them," Erina mumbled her answer. Her heartbeat was quickening. "Well there we go. That's all I really know about him. Besides him being an idiot and a pest of course."

The therapist tapped a pencil on her notepad.

"Does Yukihira Soma have a girlfriend?"

"W-what. No! I mean, I don't know. I don't think so. He's probably unable to comprehend a pure maidens feelings."

The therapist tilted her head.

"Is there a girl Yukihira is close with?"

Erina's body and heart tensed up. Her throat felt dry and her voice came out more annoyed than she would have liked.

" _Tadokoro Megumi_ ," Erina answered.

"Strange. I don't think you mentioned her. What can you tell me about her?"

"What's so special about Tadokoro Megumi!?" Erina snapped. The therapist jumped back at the suddenly display of intense irritation by the young Nakiri heiress. It was unbecoming of a fine lady and a culinary figure. "What's so special about the pure, sweet, innocent Megumi?"

Erina continued to fume.

Slowly, the frigid cold returned to her veins.

After a while, the anger dissipated.

But Nakiri Erina still found the thought of both Yukihira Souma and Tadokoro Megumi irritating.

"Nothing at all," the therapist shrugged. "Nothing."

The therapist scribbled for a long while into her notepad.

"What are you writing about?"

"Your next assignment actually," the therapist said happily. "You are going to talk to Tadokoro Megumi."

"Fine," Erina crossed her arms under her ample chest and crossed her legs. This assignment would be less burdensome than the last one.

"And I want you and her to talk about people you admire."

"You wish for us to talk about someone we admire?"

"Indeed."

Erina's mind immediately wandered to the mysterious gentleman who once cooked for her household. He created a masterful feast so wonderful and so magical Erina continues to pursue that perfection in her cooking to this day. Her only picture of him was her most prized possession.

"Someone we admire…" Erina's voice trailed off to the memory of that delightful meal.

"Yes, that's what I said. Someone like Yukihira Souma for example."

"Yea-wait, wait, wait! No. No! No no no no no!" Erina's words became jumbled as her mouth quivered out a barrage of denials and rejections. "Absolutely not! Not even close! Blegh!"

"Okay then. I still expect you to complete this assignment. See you in a week, then."

The therapist smiled and began calling her receptionist to bring the Nakiri limousine to the front.

Leaving the therapist office, Erina's thoughts tried to perverse the idea of Yukihira Souma being someone she would admire. She did so as Hisako greeted her. She continued to do so while looking out the window and listening to Hisako tick off the appointments for the next day.

She continued to do so in the bath, at dinner, and staring at the ceiling of her bedroom.

And somehow, Yukihira Souma never quite felt as repulsive in her mind as desperately as Erina tried to claim otherwise.

"I'm sick. That must be it. I'm ill," Erina mumbled before rolling her face onto her soft, silk pillow and screaming into the night.

 _Chapter Three Fin_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own Shokugeki no Soma. Please do not sue me. I have no money._

 **Summary:** _Nakiri Erina lives a life far removed from that of a normal girl's. After a near defeat in a minor shokugeki, concerns are raised as to whether the young heiress is overworked and stressed. To assuage her grandfather's concerns, she agrees to see a therapist. Peculiar assignments are given in order to address the source of Erina's demons._

 **Therapy**

 _Shokugeki no Soma_

 **Chapter Four**

 **oO oOoOo oOoOo oOoOo Oo**

"Ow!"

It was the third time Nakiri Erina cut her finger today. It was a paper thin cut, a scratch less than a millimeter in length, but the stinging on her fingertip would last for a while. Bringing her finger to her lips, Erina suckled on it gently hoping to disinfect the wound and ease the pain.

"This is annoying," Erina growled. She was angry. She was angry at herself. She was angry at the stupid therapy sessions. She was angry at the world with all the irritating rabble that occupy it.

But most of all, she was angry at one Tadokoro Megumi.

 _Someone she admires. Someone she admires. Someone she admires._

The thought wouldn't go away.

Certainly, as Alice as said, every high school girl has someone they admire. Tadokoro would be the same. Certainly the shy and introverted girl must have someone she admired.

Erina had a good idea who he was.

And that very thought irritated her to grief.

"Ugh," Erina said pressing her head to the tabletop.

The entire week had gone poorly. She missed several critical flaws in a new restaurant review. She over-boiled lobsters by over twenty seconds. Then, she mislabeled beef as pork and pork as beef – an unheard error made by the God's Tongue. Luckily, Erina corrected the error in labeling before anyone turned around and saw her switch the tags.

And it was because of Tadokoro Megumi that she couldn't focus at all.

 _I best get this done soon_ , Erina thought before finally taking her finger from her mouth. The longer she waited, the more catastrophic the errors she would make. She couldn't afford to be distracted. She had too much to do. She had a world to conquer and Nakiri Erina's path of conquest would not be stalled for one second longer by one Tadokoro Megumi.

Reaching for her phone, she called Hisako to prep the car.

Tadokoro Megumi has a rather predictable pattern. On Tuesdays she would go to the local cuisine club meetings and all other days she would attend class and return home. Prior to big exams, it was not uncommon to see her in the library studying ruthlessly cramming things she already knew or dozing off because she ruthlessly crammed things she already knew.

That is to say, Tadokoro was excellent in the art of cooking.

But she herself didn't realize it.

Humming a tune, Tadokoro walked out of class. She had managed to get through class without stuttering, which was an achievement in it of herself.

"I'm so happy!" Tadokoro cheered for herself. Rather excited she was going to relay the message to her close friends back at the Polar Star Dorm.

In particular, there was someone that she definitely wanted to hear from.

"Tadokoro Megumi."

"Eh? M-Miss Nakiri!" It wasn't her.

"I hope you are well," Erina greeted with a flip of her hair. The wind caught her hair and made it flutter in the wind. With a smile, Erina bowed. "I happened to be in the area, please allow me to offer you a ride home."

"O-oh! Thank you. But I have a bike you see-"

"I will have the bike delivered back to your dorm," Erina assured taking Tadokoro's hand. "Come. Let's go."

"B-but you don't even know which bike is mine!"

"We can figure out which bike is yours later," Erina assured.

Tadokoro looked over to the bike rack, wishing to see if her bike was still in the lot. To her surprise, she saw several men with shades and suits dismantling the entire bike rack and dumping the racks, bikes and locks and all, onto trucks.

 _Wh-what's going on!_ Megumi had retreated to her internal prison.

Meanwhile Erina pushed her into the car and off they drove.

"M-Miss Nakiri… my dorm is in the other direction."

"We're taking the scenic route. Hisako?"

"Yes. We will arrive soon."

Megumi squealed, " _eep!_ " at the realization there was an additional person besides the driver in the car. Hisako immediately bowed, apologizing for alarming the guest.

"There's nothing to be worried about," Erina nodded as she looked out the window.

In the meanwhile, Megumi retreated further into her mind prison humming her hometown tunes in an attempt to soothe her extreme anxiety.

"We have arrived Lady Erina," Hisako said.

"Huh? We have?"

Quickly exiting the vehicle, Megumi realized she was not at the Polar Star Dorm. Instead, she was at a restaurant, a very high class one at that.

"W-w-w-wha-!"

"You must be hungry after class. I am too. It'll be my treat. Follow me," Erina commanded.

Megumi, now mentally gone from the world, followed.

Taking a seat, Hisako bowed and left the two alone. Erina quickly ordered and, upon seeing Megumi still taking in the extreme posh atmosphere of the establishment, ordered for her as well.

"So, Megumi Tadokoro," Erina began.

"Y-yes! Present!" Megumi responded as if she had just been called for roll in primary school.

Erina gave Megumi a quizzical look before continuing.

"How are you? Is school going well?"

Megumi bowed. "Y-y-yes! Everything is going great!"

Somehow the atmosphere became that of a parent asking a child how her day was.

"Hm, that is good," Erina nodded while sipping on her tea.

"Y-yes," Megumi acknowledged. All she could do keep her head low. Wherever the conversation would go, Megumi would be swept up by the questions. Megumi retreated deep into her mental cave, wishing she could write a letter to her mother and Souma.

"Do you have someone you admire?"

The question came nonchalantly from Nakiri Erina.

"Ye-ye-h-h-h-huh!?" Taken aback, Megumi fumbled her words. "Wh-wha-s-someone I admire? I-I g-guess I have someone like that…"

Megumi kept her eyes low.

She averted her gaze.

Erina looked.

Erina stared at Megumi.

Erina waited.

"And why do you admire this person?"

Megumi looked over at Erina, whose expression betrayed no signs of her thoughts. Megumi twiddled her thumbs. "I just… find him… to be very courageous. It's inspiring. It makes me want to… it makes me… I just…"

"You just…?"

"I want to follow-no. That's not it." Megumi shook her head. "That's not it at all…"

"?" Erina tilted her head. She was now genuinely curious.

Megumi looked up, her face full of determination, "I want to be a better chef, so I can walk beside him! And! An-and-...uwagh!" Megumi covered her face, screaming into her palms. "So embarrassing! So embarrassing!"

"What is it?"

Megumi's lips quivered.

A sound came out.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you…"

Megumi's lips moved again. Again, Erina failed to hear the words she said.

"Good grief," Erina sighed. "You know, I have someone I admire as well."

Looking up, Megumi's face had a look of 'you do?'

"Who?" Finally came a sound that was audible.

"Someone… he inspired me too. I want to become a better chef because of him. And… I guess it wouldn't be bad if I could… just for a moment, walk beside _him_ too," Erina said softly. Her voice trailed off as she thought of being able to see what he could see. What kind of visions for masterpieces and culinary art could erupt from his head?

If only for a moment, to know what drove him, then maybe that'd be enough to satisfy her.

"Me too…" Megumi said.

Erina smiled. "It's nice to have someone to look up to," Erina nodded. "I guess it's a bit childish."

"No!"

Jumping back a bit, Erina was surprised by the determination.

"It's more than that… I… the person I admire… for me… he's… someone…"

"Someone what?"

Megumi closed her eyes.

"He's someone I want to find happiness with!"

Erina's eyes widened. A chill swept through her body. Sweat began to form. Maybe she had been expecting this. Maybe she simply wanted to see Tadokoro Megumi deny it.

Either way, the food had been set a while ago and was getting cold.

Megumi was rolling on the floor screaming in embarrassment, oblivious to the happenings of the world.

When the meal was finished, which occurred quickly as neither was particularly hungry, Megumi and Erina walked outside the restaurant where they found Hisako and a young gentleman waiting for them.

"S-Souma!" Megumi cried upon seeing him.

"Y-Yukihira Souma! What are you doing here?"

Wearing a helmet and a smile that won't seem to go away, Yukihira Soma held out a helmet. "I'm here to pick up Tadokoro. I brought my moped. Hisako dropped off a bunch of bikes at the dorm so I figured Megumi might not have a ride back."

"That's very considerate of you, Soma. Thank you!" Megumi bowed, once again flushing red with embarrassment.

"I told him it was unnecessary, Lady Erina, but he insisted on accompanying me back, so…"

Hisako twirled her hair, averting her gaze away from him as well.

Erina's eye twitched. Flipping her hair before folding her arms, Erine declared, "isn't it obvious I was going to return Tadokoro back to the dorms after our meal? Honestly, you do such unnecessary things."

"Heh! Maybe! But sometimes you find something you aren't looking for by doing things that aren't necessary."

"What kind of logic is that!"

Yukihira shrugged. "It's the Yukihira logic!"

"Stupid logic if you ask me", Erina mumbled to herself.

With moments, Megumi had a helmet on and was seated on Souma's passenger seat on the moped right behind him. With her arms securely wrapped around his wait, Souma waved Erina and Hisako off.

"See you later, Nakiri. Oh! Can you treat me to some food sometime too? And I'll talk to you later Arato!" And with that, Souma took off with Megumi in tow.

Arato waved them off with a soft smile.

Erina huffed. Erina puffed.

Erina said quietly, "I want to go home…"

Nothing, not even a hot shower or a long soak in the bath or volumes upon volumes of her favorite manga… nothing seemed to work. Everything became dull to her senses.

Erina looked in the mirror, as she brushed her teeth.

"I look like a hot mess," Erina sighed.

As she laid in bed, she curled up in her blanket. She wasn't thinking of the dozens of jobs and appointments she had tomorrow. Nor was she thinking up new dishes or what clubs to dismantle to expand her empire. Not even the thought of expelling Yukihira Souma occupied her mind.

Instead she thought of the happy smile Tadokoro Megumi had, her arms held tight around Yukihira's waist, and as they took off like a pair of lovers into the sunset.

Unsurprisingly, Erina got no sleep that night struggling with a new and irritating sensation in her chest.

 _Chapter Four Fin_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own Shokugeki no Soma. Please do not sue me. I have no money._

 **Summary:** _Nakiri Erina lives a life far removed from that of a normal girl's. After a near defeat in a minor shokugeki, concerns are raised as to whether the young heiress is overworked and stressed. To assuage her grandfather's concerns, she agrees to see a therapist. Peculiar assignments are given in order to address the source of Erina's demons._

 **Thanks:** _Cyber for being a mega-bro and editing._

 **Therapy**

 _Shokugeki no Soma_

 **Chapter Five**

oO oOoOo oOoOo oOoOo Oo

Erina looked ragged as she did her best to remain unseen.

The roaring air conditioned mall was a safe retreat from the blistering deathroes of the fall heat wave. Couples and families walked around the park. Children were smiling and lovers giggled. But all of Erina's attention was focused on a single entity leaning against a wall.

Peeking from behind a bush, Alice and Ryou in tow, Erina spied on her secretary-best-friend Arato Hisako.

"My my, Erina - isn't this what you call… hm… what's the word I'm looking for, Ryo?" Alice turned to her uninterested aide who simply sulked in the bushes. "The one that implies criminal activity and deviance from the norms of society?"

"Stalking milady," Ryo answered.

"Yes! That! Erina, aren't you becoming quite a criminal?"

"Perhaps you can sue me," Erina grumbled from her peeking location. Her head was tilted out from behind the green, leafy bush which provided little cover for her bright yellow hair. "You'll probably be a better lawyer than you'd be a chef."

As Alice began her slew of counter retorts and comebacks, Erina ignored them all.

Her mind was focused on the girl, wearing casual clothes, complete with sunglasses and a bonnet, and stood smiling at her phone.

It looked like she was waiting…

Erina sighed, remembering the day previously.

Arato Hisako set the tea tray, as she has done many times before, before she asked the question: "Lady Erina, may I take tomorrow off?"

Reaching for a sweet biscuit to munch on Nakiri Erina was busily pursuing a vintage recipe book from the Second French Empire. With half a mouthful of biscuit and a splash of tea Erina replied, "sure-wait. What?"

Arato Hisako never took a day off.

Crumbs rolled onto the floor before Erina muttered an affirmative. She had no reason to deny Hisako's request and simply stared as Hisako bowed, said 'thank you', and left Erina alone in the room.

Erina couldn't shrug it off.

And so here she was, watching Hisako wearing casual clothes. Hisako looked intently at her cellphone, and checking the clocks scattered throughout the mall. It looked so… so… unlike the Hisako that she had grown up with. It was frightening. It was terrifying.

Hisako looked like a normal girl, waiting for someone.

"Do you think your aide is waiting for a boy, perchance?"

"Wha-what!? No way… Hisako isn't even close to any… else…"

Erina fumbled her words without any confidence.

That said, did Hisako really have friends besides Erina? Erina didn't know. In fact, Hisako spent most of her time with her. She must have made some friends. That's it! Hisako must have made some friends over the Stagiaire month or something...

But still…

Why wouldn't Hisako want to tell her about it?

As Erina pondered the possible reasons ranging from hypnosis to blackmail, out of the corner of her eye she saw something… no, it was someone.

Hisako saw it too.

A bright smile erupted onto her lips.

Her arms waved at the approaching new comer:

Yukihira Souma.

"Yo, Hisako. Thanks for hanging out. It's pretty weird to go to the mall by yourself you know? Everyone else was busy."

"Not at all. It's a shame others couldn't join us."

They looked at each other, both smiling.

Erina felt her heartbeat stop.

"Whoa. Would you look at that? Guess Yukihira is going on a date with your secretary! How scandalous! Ryo! Get me my phone. We gotta leak this to the newspapers! Everyone must know! Besides, the gossip column has been so dry lately…"

"Yes, milady," Ryo nodded as he fumbled through Alice's purse for her phone.

"Hisako…"

Erina was still in disbelief. She was still in disbelief as she watched the two walked away. She was in disbelief as she watched talk as close as… well close friends… or even… perhaps…

Lovers.

Maybe Hisako was suffering from some kind of illness! That must be it! That had to be it…

Erina shook off the doubts.

She had to follow them.

"And Ryo! Make sure you tell them this was from an anonymous source! Actually, wait no! I want the credit, so tell them that Alice Nakiri was the source! Oh wait… that'd be bad attention… okay! Got it! Tell them it was Erina!"

"Yes, milady… but I doubt Lady Erina would agree."

"Of course she wouldn-Wait. Where'd she go?"

"She went after the pair on the date."

"Gosh darnit! After them!"

Ryo sighed. Then followed his master on the chase.

The day progressed normally, however, for the unaware stalk-tees. They wandered about the mall for a bit, looking at whatever interested them before a quick hamburger and fries with milkshake at the foodcourt. After that, they wandered off into a bookstore.

"A bookstore? How boooring," Alice moaned.

Erina Nakiri made no reaction to her cousin who spontaneously appeared from behind her. Erina herself was hiding behind a pillar. The two Nakiri cousins were already attracting much attention from the passerby crowds, wondering why two girls were acting like stalkers.

Ryo was standing behind them, holding the drinks they had picked up during their adventure.

"So far it's been so normal. I thought this was going to be a scandal!"

Alice fumed while Erina quietly observed.

Somehow, she felt annoyed by the situation, but at the same time she was angry - but not at Hisako or at Alice or even at Yukihira Souma. She was mad… at something. She just didn't know what.

But what she did know was that the pang in her heart only grew louder and more painful.

Whatever it was, it urged her to go in.

Alice, who had been eyeing designer dresses and purses in the side, was busy talking to Ryo. "Ryo! Make a note I want that bag and that dress… and those bags too… and ugh, I need a bag for Thursday-wait, where is Erina going?"

"Inside."

"Obviously! But if she follows them too closely, it ruins the point of stalking!"

Ryo didn't contest his master and her newly discovered expertise in stalking.

Once inside the bookstore, Erina wandered about. She had lost sight of the pair earlier

Turning a corner, she found them.

It was a reading corner with carpets and large cushioned sofas. Hisako and Yukihira were seated next to one another on a large sofa for two. Their shoulders pressed together as they leaned in close to read the various books they had picked up.

"I really enjoy the plot of this one," said Yukihira.

"Hm… but isn't a bit risque?" Hisako eyed it cautiously.

"I'm not sure what you're looking for. I like battle or comedy myself. Are you a fan of romance? More of a simple stuff, right?"

"A… a little… I just prefer the love stories not be so daring."

"Roger. Hm… this book looks good too. And look, it's at least twenty volumes!"

"Yeah, I can see why…"

Hisako's hair brushed against Yukihira's cheek. A soft hand swept the wayward strands. Yukihira and Hisako's eyes were nearly leveled and mere inches apart. They must have been able to smell each other without issue, and must have been able to taste each other's breath at such an approximate close distance.

The scene was so blissfully simple, pleasant, and innocent.

Erina opened her mouth.

Cat got God's Tongue.

She didn't speak. Her lips closed. Her teeth grinded against one another.

She left the bookstore.

"Oh look, Erina's back!" Erina had unwittingly spared Ryo from an hours-on-end lecture about some random thing Alice happened to read online about.

"Let's go," Erina mumbled.

Alice and Ryo looked at other. Erina seemed so utterly defeated. The limousine was summoned. The trio entered and began making their way back to the Nakiri residence.

"Whatcha think got's Erina down in the dumps?" Alice whispered to Ryo.

"Most likely Lady Erina is feeling left behind because her secretary has begun courtship rituals and most likely did not inform her of such. Lady Erina thus feels betrayed and also lost because her closest friend failed to confide in her of these events. This is similar to what most middle aged men feel when they realized that the world is moving on without them and their accomplishments mean little in the face of the unforgiving ravages of time."

Alice blinked.

"You should be a therapist, Ryo!"

Ryo sighed. He would be crying himself to sleep tonight again.

"Erina!" Alice shouted changing her attention to her cousin. "You gotta cheer up."

Erina looked up, dark bags had begun forming under her eyes.

"You know what'll cheer you up?"

"What…?"

"Having some people cook for you! Then you can taste it and trash how bad their cooking is! Yeah! Then you can dump their piping hot food on the top of their heads and call them second-rate chefs or some insulting things or whatever."

Erina paused. That did sound amusing, but it wasn't going to lift her spirits.

"I think I'd throw up if I eat poorly made food right now."

"Okay, okay… how about we watch a movie?"

"My eyes are sore."

"Um… let's go shopping?"

"I don't wear anything besides my school uniform anyways."

Alice fumed. She bit her thumb, trying to think of a possible solution.

"Hmmm… maybe Erina you should go on a practice date."

"A… a practice date?"

"Yeah! I mean, I drag Ryo on practice dates all the time."

Erina shuddered, looking at the boy next to her cousin. Ryo nodded. "The last time milady took us out on a practice date, I ended up bowling a 17."

"Ryo is such a notoriously bad bowler! He even puts on his bandana and gets into his berserker mode and just ends up throwing his bowling ball into the alley next to his! It's really fun to watch. You should come with us sometime, Erina. Bring a friend! Better yet, bring a male friend! That way it can be a double practice date."

Erina's eye twitched.

But somehow, the thought didn't sound too disagreeable…

"Okay…"

 _Chapter Five Fin_


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